Loyal Dominick's shoppers see other options in Wheaton, Glen Ellyn

On a Friday morning, as Chris Borwankar loaded groceries into her car at the Dominick’s in Glen Ellyn, she talked about the grocery chain that she has known since she was a child.

“For a long time, growing up, it was all Dominick’s and Jewel Osco,” the Glen Ellyn resident said. “It’s in my comfort zone. I could shop here in my sleep.”

The prices are not the cheapest in the area, but she goes there because it is clean and familiar. Still, she said, the possible loss of the store is not so bad since there will be plenty of other options in her area.

Borwankar said she’s been keeping a close eye on the a new store expected to open at the end of the month down the street in Wheaton, off Roosevelt and Main streets.

“I’m excited about the Mariano’s,” she said, noting that she has been following the grocery chain’s Facebook page and will likely be there on opening day.

The Mariano’s won’t be the only possible substitute for Dominick’s customers. A Fresh Market is expected to open in Glen Ellyn, off Roosevelt, replacing the former Packey Webb Dodge dealership.

At the Dominick’s off Main Street and Geneva Road, which sits right on the border of Carol Stream and Wheaton, Beverly Pappas gasped at the news.

“I don’t want to go to Jewel!” she said.

The Glendale Heights resident has been a loyal Dominick’s shopper for the past three to four decades. She says she doesn’t mind paying a little more because she prefers the meat and produce there over other stores. When the cashier told her the news on Friday morning, Pappas was in shock.

“I feel terrible. I’ve been bragging about Dominick’s,” she said. “This is so bad for the employees.”

The loss of a location at Danada Square East Shopping Center in Wheaton is unfortunate, but “it could be worse,” said Wheaton Mayor Mike Gresk.

“I’m sorry for the Dominick’s and the employees who’ll be out of a job, but as a community, hopefully the Mariano’s will pick up the slack,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a reflection of any specific community as it is on the competitive nature of the food market here in the Chicago area.”